2024 Chicago City Budget Hearings [City Clerk, Dept. of Public Health] MORNING

Finance

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023
10:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. CDT

121 N La Salle St, Chicago, Illinois 60602 Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

Chicago City Hall, 2nd floor, Council Chambers

This is an assignment to document part of Chicago City Council’s 2024 budget process. Because most departmental budget hearings last the better part of a work day, we have broken each day into morning and afternoon assignments (if you want to cover a full day you can apply to both). A lunch break is usually taken sometime between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. If you are assigned we will follow up via email to coordinate further.

Budget meetings are a lot easier to follow if you’ve done your pre-research! Check out The Chicago Documenters Guide to the 2024 City Budget Process (https://tinyurl.com/ChiDocs2024BudgetGuide) in preparation for this assignment.

You have the option of documenting this meeting in person or remotely.

If you choose to attend in person, an additional hour will be added to your total assignment hours. You may be asked to provide government-issued photo ID and to go through a metal detector.

If you choose to document remotely, the meeting will be live-streamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page.

If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

Applicants who attended the Oct. 10 training will be prioritized and will receive an extra hour of pay on each assignment they submit. A video recording of that training can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nqun6oXam8.

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Live reporting by Maureen Dunne

The CityKey Program provides all Chicago residents – including new arrivals with a form of identification using their birth certificate or consular ID.

Twitter author

Hello Chicago!! 🌞 I'll be live-tweeting this morning's budget hearings on the city clerk', Chicago Dept of Public Health, Chicago Public Library & Dept of Family and Support Services. Watch with me here: or follow this thread for more! @CHIdocumenters chicityclerk.com/committee-budg…

chicityclerk.com/committee-budg…

10:05 AM Oct 19, 2023 CDT

Twitter author @unknown 2/18

@CHIdocumenters 🧵1: The meeting is called to order and the session begins at 10:09 with public comment. Commenters advocate for more funding for the Dept of Public Health to combat COVID & address health inequities Another calls for reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans

Twitter author @unknown 3/18

@CHIdocumenters 🧵2: More commenters advocate for the Dept of Family and Support Services to adopt the Peace Book Ordinance erasethedatabase.com/peace-book/

erasethedatabase.com/peace-book/

Twitter author @unknown 4/18

🧵3: The meeting moves into hearing the budget proposal adjustments for the City Clerk's office. City Clerk Ana Valencia introduces her staff and provides updates on its key programs including the City Key and mobile City Hall programs.

Twitter author @unknown 5/18

🧵4: Ald. Harris advocates the Clerk's office to provide online City Key services due to increased demand due to new arrivals in the city. Clerk Valencia says there is demand for an online system, but her office couldn't find the funding this year chicityclerk.com/about-citykey

chicityclerk.com/about-citykey

Twitter author @unknown 6/18

🧵5: Multiple alders comment on increasing staff in the clerk's office. "My team is drowning," Valencia said. Her office ended the year with 14 vacancies and she says her staff has put in a lot of overtime, but she was told there would be no staffing increases this year.

Twitter author @unknown 7/18

🧵6: Ald. Dowell asks how many new arrivals have been granted City Keys -- Valencia says her office doesn't keep specific data on how many City Keys have been issued to migrants -- there's no distinction between their applications and others.

Twitter author @unknown 8/18

🧵7: Dowell expresses concerns about the vetting process for new arrivals obtaining City Keys. Valencia says most applicants have their birth certificates or documents from the Dept of Homeland Security to verify their identities before obtaining their City Key.

Twitter author @unknown 9/18

🧵8: Ald. Beale: "I've never been a fan of the City Key program, that's no secret." He asks about the vetting process for migrants obtaining City Keys -- asking if there are citizenship questions during the application process. Valencia says there are not.

Twitter author @unknown 10/18

🧵9: The City Clerk's office portion of the hearing is finished. Next the Committee will review the Chicago Public Library's proposed budget at 12:15.

Twitter author @unknown 11/18

🧵10: Chicago Public Library commissioner Chris Brown offers opening remarks and thanks to his staff, reviewing some of the achievements of the library enumerated in the budget overview below:

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🧵11: Chairman Ervin opens the question section asking what the Library plans to do with a $10 million grant from the state. Brown says the library wants to invest equitably across the city, but the money will go towards the Gage Park library as it needs improvements.

Twitter author @unknown 13/18

🧵12: Ald. Reilly questions distributing Narcan at the libraries: "Can you explain how the library system is handing a large amount of addicts in a building meant for children?" Brown responds that mental health professionals have been added to the library staff and ...

Twitter author @unknown 14/18

🧵13: staff works closely with the police if there are any disturbances. "What I would like to hear is a zero tolerance policy for drug use in public libraries because they're meant for children," Reilly said. Brown: There is a zero tolerance policy in place ...

Twitter author @unknown 15/18

🧵14: Another member of library leadership clarifies that many people who take Narcan typically don't administer it in the library, but carry with them home or on public transit just in case. Ald Reilly requests data on the number of calls to the police from each branch.

Twitter author @unknown 16/18

🧵15: Ald. Lee: What is being done to address safety and security in light of bomb threats against the libraries? Brown: CPL has developed a working group to assess security in coordination with the Chicago Police Department bomb squad and Mayor's office chicago.suntimes.com/2023/9/14/2387…

chicago.suntimes.com/2023/9/14/2387…

Twitter author @unknown 17/18

🧵16: Ald. Manaa-Hoppenworth: What happens when someone is banned from the library? Brown: As a public place, all bans are temporary and there is an appeal process. Staff is trained and conscious of mental health struggles

Twitter author @unknown 18/18

🧵17: The committee concludes its questions for the Library and breaks for lunch. It will reconvene at 2:15 p.m. Follow along for the rest of the session with @thewendyway 's thread & follow @CHIdocumenters for more coverage 🌞

View thread

Note-taking by Citlali Perez

The CityKey Program provides all Chicago residents – including new arrivals with a form of identification using their birth certificate or consular ID.

View notes

Attachments

1 attachment

Meeting details

By India Daniels ⋅ October 19th, 2023

Agency Information

Chicago City Council

chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3166

@ChiCouncil

See Documenters reporting

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago and consists of the Mayor and Aldermen elected from each of the City’s fifty wards. Source

If you attend a meeting in person, be prepared to go through a security checkpoint and show photo ID.

Meetings are also livestreamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page. If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

Recordings of past City Council meetings may be found here: https://vimeo.com/user100351763/videos/sort:date.

See also: “What to Expect at a Meeting of Chicago’s City Council” via the Better Government Association.